Similarities between Sumerian and Azerbaijani (Common Turkic) Heroic Sagas

Abstract

The article titled "Similarities in Heroic Epics of Sumer-Azerbaijan (Common Turkic) in the Context of Sumer-Azerbaijani Literary Relations" addresses an underexplored issue in Azerbaijani philology. Generally, research efforts within our national literary scholarship on Sumer-Azerbaijan, particularly on Sumer-Turkic relations, have been quite limited. While certain prominent linguists in the field of philology-such as F. Hommel, E. Sturtevan, B. Landsberger, O. H. Tuna, A. Amanjolov, I. Miziyev, and A. Mammadov, among others-have examined Sumer-Turkic linguistic relations and identified lexical parallels and some phonetic correspondences among these languages.
Nevertheless, there is a significant need within our academic community for in-depth research on Sumerian literary artifacts, particularly in relation to world literature, including Azerbaijani and Turkic literatures. Investigating the literary relations of Sumer-Azerbaijan (in the broader sense, Sumer-Turkic) is vital for understanding the mutual cultural exchanges between the Sumerian and Turkic worlds, tracing the historical roots of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage, and addressing a currently contentious issue - the ancestral origins of the Azerbaijani people.
The study of Sumerian literature's historical development and content challenges the notion that humanistic ideals were first expressed in ancient Greek literature and philosophy, later revived during the Renaissance in Italy and other European countries. The known examples of Sumerian literature unequivocally demonstrate that such ideas are not only limited but also distant from objectivity. Simply examining the wisdom and advice of Sumerian sages (e.g., "Counsel of the Resident of Shuruppak to Ziusudra's Son," "The Advice of Ahikar"), along with proverbs and fables, reveals the extent to which Sumerian literature was enriched with humanistic ideas. These concepts remain relevant in our modern era. For instance: "Keep your tongue from evil, your hand from theft," "Do not speak ill," "Do not shed the blood of a close person," or "Do not divide kin," "Do not go to an uninvited place," "Be straightforward in speech but not sinful in heart," "Do not teach bad things," and so on.
The narrative "Bilqamis, or the Tale of the All-Knowing Man," created within the Sumerian intellectual sphere, not only embodies humanistic ideals but also instills high moral standards and patriotic sentiments, placing it alongside other prominent epics in world literary history (e.g., "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana," "Iliada" and "Odyssey," "Book of Dede Korkut" and "Koroglu").